The world experienced challenging moments during the pandemic; however, it provided a fantastic opportunity for everyone to realize the actual value of technology. We are now surrounded, indeed, immersed in technology and can witness its trace in every aspect of our lives, especially education.
The use of technology in education has opened new ways of learning, and made all teachers and instructors around the world think critically about their digital literacy. Teachers realized that the key to surviving in this situation was to develop their technical knowledge and skills. ELT teachers and educators were no exception; they attempted to improve their skills to deliver more efficient online lessons.
Here is a list of apps and tools that ELT teachers and educators use in their online classes:
Padlet is a digital board that students and teachers use to post their thought and learning on the common page. The posted notes can contain links, videos, images and document files. Watch this video to learn how to use Padlet.
Wordwall allows you to create interactive activities for the classroom. Students of all personalities and abilities are able to engage. This video will help you learn more about this wonderful app.
Google Jamboard: It is a free interactive board. Students can sketch out ideas and save their work to Google Drive as a PDF to their computer or individual images. Google Jamboard offers students a variety of markup features (pen, marker, highlighter and brush). Sticky notes can be used to insert text, but not long ones. Watch this video to learn more about this user-friendly tool.
Miro board is a digital whiteboard that makes it easy to collaborate with others and create entertaining and practical language exercises. This whiteboard is mainly used for. brainstorming, learning vocabulary and grammar, and feedback. To learn more about Miro, watch this video.
Canva is an online graphical tool that teachers can use to design their lesson plan, create videos and presentations, use for assessment and feedback, build a brand for their classrooms, help students create their own learning plan, and create worksheets and exercises. Watch this video to learn more about this tool.
- 6- Quizlet, Kahoot & World Wheel
Quizlet, Kahoot, and world wheel are used for learning and reviewing vocabulary for students at different levels and ages. Using them makes learning words enjoyable and engaging.
Answergarden is a tool used by teachers to establish the knowledge level of a class on a certain topic. It is mainly used at conferences, workshops, classrooms to break the ice in a fun and interactive fashion. To learn more about using this tool, watch this video.
- What are the benefits of using those tools?
The use of the above technological tools and apps in ELT classrooms is beneficial for teachers for many reasons. Here some are listed.
- Teachers can prepare more interactive and engaging materials for learners.
- Teachers can use Canva, Miro board and Answergarden for feedback and assessment.
- The use of all the tools and apps mentioned above provides lots of opportunities for collaborative and interactive activities.
- The use of Canva helps teachers to have more organized lesson plans.
- They reduce teacher talk time, so lessons become more student-centered.
- They help teachers to manage students’ progress easily.
- They make learning more fun and interesting.
- They can be used for learners of different ages.
- They help the teacher to create more engaging and eye-catching lessons.
- Canva is an excellent tool for giving rewards to students.
- Teachers can design more communicative tasks and exercise
- Teachers can also use them to adapt their materials and provide students with activities relevant to their needs.
- They allow teachers to design their tests.
- Professional Development and Technology
The presence of technology has also become more and more apparent in the professional development of ELT teachers. They can rely on a large number of resources to improve their theoretical and practical knowledge of teaching. Technology has created a great opportunity for a teacher to be a member of a community of practice in which they share their experiences and challenges. Teachers do not feel they are left alone and isolated behind their classroom doors. They are confident that there are many ELT professionals, teachers and educators in the world who help them to overcome their challenges.
Below is a list of recourses that ELT teachers can use for their professional development.
- Language Learners and Using Technology
Technology has brought considerable benefits for language learners such as:
- Increasing their autonomy
- Freedom in choosing their source and type of learning.
- Feeling more motivated
- Learning from people from different nationalities and cultures.
- Not relying on traditional learning and teaching.
- Taking the role of teacher for themselves
- Being a member of a large community of learners
- Having a more sense of belonging in the target culture.
- Developing different aspects of their language skills, especially pronunciation and connected speech.
- Learning through games and plays
In sum, technology introduces new apps and tools for language learning every day and the trend shows no sign of slowing down. Therefore, ELT teachers must improve not only their pedagogical knowledge but also their technological skills. They should learn how to communicate with learners through social networks such as Facebook and Instagram to attract learners and satisfy their needs. They need to create educational videos to save class time for exercises and practice. Moreover, they need to develop their collaboration skills to be able to share their experiences and challenges with a larger community. In the digital age, teachers are required to think critically about different tools and be open to challenges and new thoughts.
Dr. Rezvan Zonoubi
Rezvan has a PhD in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), and she is CELTA, DELTA and IH certified teacher. She is an English teacher and TEFL trainer in Finland, with over 17 years of experience in developing and delivering English language and teacher training courses.
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